Before we tell you know what we think, and before we get to what you think, we thought we’d do something a little bit different this as part of our usual end-of-year celebrations. What, we wondered, do the people who actually make the games think? As so we’ve chatted with the developers behind some of our favourite 2025 releases to find out which new games have resonated most with them as the year has gone on.
And the results were illuminating, ranging from knockabout mountaineering and sci-fi cloning to carpark racing and 90s internet sleuthing. For some more top-calibre picks, read on.
Baby Steps co-creator Gabe Cuzzillo
Gabe’s pick: Peak (available on PC via Steam)
What is it? Peak, from developer Aggro Crab and Landfall Games, took the gaming world by storm when it was released back in June, selling over 1m copies in just six days, before going on to sell considerably more. It’s not hard to see why it proved popular either; this knockabout co-op climbing game – in which up to four friends must work together to scale a mysterious, possibly magical mountain – is as hilariously chaotic as it is charming.
Gabe says, “Peak was famously made in three months, and it shows. The game feels thrown together in a lot of ways, and is full of bugs. To me this is also its greatest strength. The random jumble of geometry that makes up the levels gives it a real route-finding feel that I’ve only felt in other climbing games that embrace randomness (see also: [fr0g] clan official server 24/7 zk map (for stranger), Stratocubulus). I love that its levels aren’t didactic, and that it has a loose grip on how you find your way up. I also love feeding my friends poison.”
Keeper director Lee Petty
- Here’s what we thought about Keeper
Lee’s pick: Ghost of Yotei (available on PlayStation 5)
What is it? Sucker Punch follows up 2020’s acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima with a brand-new open-world action-adventure set in a beautiful rendition of historical Japan. Ghost of Yotei continues the series’ great swordplay and heartfelt storytelling, but it’s not quite business as usual. The big change is the departure of previous protagonist Jin in favour of lone wolf mercenary Atsu, who players join on her single-minded mission to punish the Yōtei Six, a ruthless gang who slaughtered her family.
Lee says, “The game I connected most with this year is Ghost of Yotei. As both a big Kurosawa admirer and a fan of the first game, I really enjoyed my time in this world. Getting lost in the stunning landscape on horseback was my favorite element of the game. The wind is a character in this world, both mechanically (helps the player know where to go) and aesthetically; it’s always present and means that every frame of this game feels alive. I turned on the optional Watanabe mode, replacing the game’s score with some great low-fi beats; the perfect soundtrack for my meandering exploration.”
Promise Mascot Agency director Oli Clarke Smith
Oli’s pick: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (available on Switch and PC)
What is it? Part visual novel, part tactical RPG, developer Too Kyo Games and Media Vision’s The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy follows the adventure of entirely ordinary Tokyo teenager Takumi Sumino, who, after a surprising event, is recruited into the Last Defense Academy. And so begins a battle, with a little help from 14 fellow students, to protect his new school from marauding monsters, keeping it safe for the next 100 days.
Oli says, “The most important thing a game can do is Surprise and Delight the player. Hundred Line loads up a double-barrel shotgun of Surprise and shoots you in the face. You bleed Delight all over the floor. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a work of genius. It plays with narrative form. It settles you into tropes and then breaks said tropes over its knee. The story branches are bursting with juice and you want to slurp up every drop.
“The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is made by lunatics, for lunatics. Every time I play, I think to myself, ‘Is this okay? Is it okay for video games to be this good? Is there any point to me still making video games when a video game this good exists?’ The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a masterpiece made by developers at the top of their game.”
Expelled! director Jon Ingold
Jon’s pick: Type Help (available on PC via Itch.io)
What is it? Inspired by the likes of Return of the Obra Dinn and Her Story, William Rous’ Type Help tasks players with exploring the files of an old computer in an attempt to figure out what happened to its owner and perhaps even solve the gruesome mystery of Galley House. Type Help can be played for free on Itch.io, but an expanded version comes to Steam next year.
Jon says, “Type Help has a really smart deductive interface but its best idea is in the structure of the narrative itself, which gets tighter and tighter as the story progresses.
“Database thrillers in the Her Story model often have a problem towards the end, as the player is left to mop up missing pieces despite having the bulk of the story in place, but Type Help manages – through its foul means – to wrangle a climax and denouement. (Only, listen, you have to play it without a spreadsheet, like a real gumshoe.)”
Rematch director Pierre Tarno
- Here’s what we thought about Rematch
Pierre’s pick: Rematch (available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store)
What is it? Rematch probably isn’t the game most would have guessed Sifu and Absolver studio Sloclap would make next, but what is football if not tactical movement and barely constrained violence? Rematch, more specifically, is an online multiplayer football game where up to 5v5 matches play out in third-person for a more arcadey, immersive take on the sport.
Pierre says, “My favorite new game release of 2025 is Rematch – it’s by far the game I’ve played the most this year. After over three years of development during which I had to wait for the weekly test sessions to be able to play the game, it feels really great to be able to find teammates and opponents whenever I feel like kicking the ball. In Rematch, a single mistake can cost you the win, so I sometimes get frustrated (both against myself, and against my teammates), but the highs far outweigh the lows: the satisfaction of a well-placed pass, the joy of playing seamlessly with your team, the pressure of a tense overtime, the rush of a critical goal… all these are moments unique to Rematch, and are why I love playing it so much.”
Ghost Town director Mark Hamilton
Mark’s pick: Parking Garage Rally Circuit (available on PC via Steam)
What is it? Pretty much everything you need to know about Walaber Entertainment’s Parking Garage Rally Circuit is there in the title, but if we’re going to get granular, it’s a retro-inspired arcade racer – styled like a Sega Saturn game – that sees players careening across big US cities. The twist, though, is its races take place entirely within repurposed parking garages. It’s officially described as a sort of Rally and circuit racing hybrid, featuring “tight simple controls and arcade physics” – and if you’re the competitive type, there’s split-screen, online multiplayer for up to eight players, and leaderboards too.
Mark says, “In the distant past, before Fireproof and all the spooky puzzle games we make there, a bunch of us got our start at Criterion working on Burnout. I’ve always kept my eye on the arcade racing scene and though it’s been mostly dormant, it seems like there’s a bit of a resurgence going on at the moment.
“One of my favourites of this little renaissance is Parking Garage Rally Circuit, a game that feels so authentically retro it’s like it was lost down the back of the sofa for 30 years – a Saturn disc dusted off and uploaded straight onto Steam.
“It’s a chaotic game of drifting tiny cars though busy carparks (and other places) wrestling for first place while avoiding obstacles. It’s quick and snappy fun with a lot of depth to its drift and boost driving model; a classic one-more-go arcade experience.”
The Séance of Blake Manor director Treasa McCabe
Treasa’s pick: The Roottrees are Dead (available on PC via Steam)
What is it? This acclaimed “genealogical mystery” from developer Evil Trout begins somewhere in 1998, when several members of the renowned Roottree family – together worth billions – are killed in a plane crash. Their money is to be redistributed among the remaining family, but there’s a problem – it’s not entirely clear who’s a blood relative. That’s where you come in; armed with a PC and your lightning-fast dial-up modem, you’ll need to scour photos, books, articles and more in order to deduce exactly who connects with who, and who belongs where on the family tree.
Treasa says, “The Roottrees are Dead is a smart and engaging deductive game that blends the mechanics of two of my favourite games, Return of the Obra Dinn and Her Story, very elegantly with the addition of a nice note-taking system for people like me who need notes but lose everything. It’s thinky, fun and engaging, feeling a lot like the board game, Modern Detective, which I also love. The illustrative art style is nostalgic and reminds me of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books I grew up with. It’s cosy, intriguing and easy to fall into a deductive hole with.”
Blue Prince director Tonda Ros
Tonda’s pick: Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo (available on Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam)
What is it? Developed by Pocket Trap, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is officially a “Yoyovania”. More specifically, though, it’s a top-down exploration adventure that sees its mousey protagonist – self-described yoyo master Pippit – navigating a sprawling city in order to bring down rival crime bosses and win back the trust of the Pipistrello family. It’s got combat, platforming action, and puzzle-solving – much of it built around your Pippit’s yoyo tricks – and some pleasing retro vibes too.
Tonda says, “2025 has been a watershed year for indies, and while I have a lot of personal favourites, if I had to choose just one, it would have to be Pocket Trap’s brilliant top-down adventure, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. Imagine a hero wielding a yoyo in lieu of a sword, and instead of gaining new attacks, he learns yoyo tricks. Tricks that transform the combat, and the platforming, and allow you to solve puzzles in so many clever ways. But perhaps the most impressive trick of all is winning our hearts along – No wait, it’s ‘walk-the-dog’. That’s definitely the most impressive trick.”
Old Skies director Dave Gilbert
Dave’s pick: The Alters (available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam)
What is it? Frostpunk developer 11 Bit Studios’ The Alters is a strange beast, combining elements of survival, adventure, and base-building into an intriguing sci-fi adventure set on a hostile planet. At the heart of all this is Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of an ill-fated space expedition, who has little chance of survival without a crew for his mobile base. That’s where things get interesting; by utilising the properties of a substance known as Rapidium, he’s able to simulate alternate outcomes of his past choices and bring the Jans that took different paths. Expect tough moral dilemmas, a branching narrative, and more.
Dave says, “Normally, base-building games aren’t my thing, but I gave The Alters a whirl because I am a fan of the publisher’s previous work (Thaumaturge and Indika were both sublime). What I didn’t expect to find was one of the most emotionally affecting stories I’ve ever experienced. We all wonder how our lives could’ve changed if we made a different decision, and Jan Dolski gets to experience that first hand.
“In lesser hands, this could’ve been just a cute gimmick, but The Alters deftly turns it into an absolutely fascinating character study. A character study that is intricately wrapped in a tight and addictive gameplay loop. I simply had to gather enough materials to get Jan and his Alters through another day so I could continue talking to them. One hour of play would quickly turn into eight without me even noticing. My heart soared when the final credits rolled, but sank a bit because I didn’t want it to end.”
Horses writer and director Andrea Lucco Borlera
- Here’s what we thought about Horses
Andrea’s pick: Blue Prince (available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam)
What is it? You’re the young heir of Mt. Holly manor in developer Dogbomb’s acclaimed puzzler Blue Prince. But before you can claim your title, you’ll need to prove yourself first. The challenge is simple – find the elusive Room 46 – but the solution is anything but. Each day, you’ll probe a little deeper into the mansion, drafting cards from a deck to shape its ever-shifting layout. Every room holds its own secrets, leading to yet more mysteries, and it’s up to you to peel away the seemingly endless layers as you slowly puzzle your way toward the truth of it all.
Andrea says, “I’d choose Blue Prince, because it’s the only game I actually managed to finish this year. After Horses was banned in 2023, I finally listened to my mom and became a teacher, a decision that turned out to be devastating for my free time.
In a way, it was the perfect setup: Blue Prince is a game that asks you to navigate aimlessly, to move without a clear map, trying to understand what you’re doing wrong and what the system expects from you. An experience uncannily similar to both teaching and figuring out what exactly Steam didn’t like in our game. Cathartic!”
Citizen Sleeper 2 creator Gareth Damian Martin
Gareth’s pick: Many Nights a Whisper (available on PC via Itch.io and Steam)
What is it? Created by Deconstructeam (the studio behind The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood) and Selkie Harbour, Many Nights a Whisper is a meditative third-person game in which you’re tasked with completing an ancient archery ceremony. Performing it correctly grants years of prosperity to your people, but failure could lead to calamity. The problem? All this is determined by landing a single impossible shot. Over its hour-or-so short runtime, you’ll receive guidance from your mentor and speak to the townsfolk to learn their dreams. “Weigh their whispers,” Deconstructream teases, “and decide whether to grant their wishes.”
Gareth says, “Sometimes it feels a little like games might be calcifying, hardening around established genres and conventions, settling into the same set of compulsion loops, and then I play something like Many Nights a Whisper. It’s a game that feels ‘gamey’ in the purest sense, a staged situation that tasks you with performing an act with skill and intention, and yet it also feels like a poem, a debate, a moment. It scaffolds its simplicity – make one single shot from a sling – with such carefully chosen complications. You choose what weight to put on the shot, what it means, by accepting the wishes it will grant. You choose a potential future, and then beckon it into being, or not. My own whispered wish is that games never forget this discursive power: to stage a moment that reveals the world.”
Dispatch co-director Nick Herman
Nick’s pic: Hades 2 (available on Switch, Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store)
What is it? After 18 months in early access, Hades 2 finally got its hugely anticipated 1.0 release this year, and – surprising nobody, given the quality of its award-winning predecessor – it was worth the wait. On a basic level, Supergiant Games’ sequel offers more of the same sublime roguelike dungeon-crawling action, but it’s been expanded and finessed in all sorts of interesting ways. That makes for a cracking journey as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld (and sister to original Hades protagonist Zagreus) attempts to defeat Chronos, the titan of time.
Nick says, “It’s tough seeing as there are so many great games, and it was the year in which [we were crunching]. I’ve played a little bit of everything, but I haven’t really destroyed or demolished anything. I think probably the game that got me the most was Hades 2; I love everything Supergiant does, and if you love Hades, it’s just like three times that.”